973o7L63 
C2W25s 


Warren,    Louis  A0 

Souvenir  of  Abraham   Lincoln's 
Bi  r  thp  la  ce  Q     Ho  dgenvi  lie ,    Ky  o 


LINCOLN  ROOM 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 


MEMORIAL 

the  Class  of  1901 

founded  by 

HARLAN  HOYT  HORNER 

and 

HENRIETTA  CALHOUN  HORNER 


ABRAHAM 

LINCOLN'S 

BIRTHPLACE 


HODGENVILLE, 
KENTUCKY. 


oouvemr 

of 

Abraham  Lincoln's  Birthplace 


HODGENVILLE, 
KENTUCKY. 


BY 
LOUIS  A.  WARREN 


PUBLISHERS 

MUNFORD  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

MOROANFTELP,  KY. 


By  Louis  A.  Warren. 
Copyright,  1027 


% 


^73.7  U% 


THE  BIRTHPLACE  FARM 

HE  farm  on  which  Abraham  Lincoln  was 
born  was  originally  a  part  of  a  60,000  acre 
patent.  As  early  as  1786,  John  Dewhurst 
was  in  possession  of  one  half  of  this  tract 
which  he  sold  to  William  Greenough  the 
same  year.  By  1791  the  30,000  acres  was  in 
possession  of  William  Weymouth  and  later  John 
Hood  and  Joseph  James  each  purchased  tracts  of 
15,000  acres.  James  disposed  of  his  interests  to 
Richard  Mather  in  1798.  Commissioners  were  ap- 
pointed in  the  year  1801  to  divide  equally  between 
Hood's  heirs  and  Richard  Mather  the  30,000  acres 
secured  from  Weymouth.  Mather  was  granted 
the  northern  half  of  the  tract. 

Richard  Mather  sold  to  David  Vance  on  May 
1,  1805,  300  acres  of  this  15,000  acre  tract,  which 
Vance  turned  over  to  Isaac  Bush  on  November  2nd 
of  the  same  year.  On  December  12, 1808,  Bush  sold 
this  property  to  Thomas  Lincoln,  who  settled  upon 
it  two  months  before  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born. 


Until  the  discovery  of  the  above  transfers  by  the 
writer  it  was  thought  that  Thomas  Lincoln,  father 
of  Abraham,  was  a  squatter  on  this  farm,  but  such 
is  not  the  case.  He  paid  Bush  $200  cash  for  the 
place  and  held  possession  until  1813,  when  it  was 
discovered  there  was  a  payment  due  Mather  by 
Vance  that  had  never  been  settled.  The  property 
was  thrown  into  litigation  and  ordered  to  be  sold 
although  Thomas  Lincoln  was  awarded  the  $200 
cash  which  he  had  paid  for  the  land. 

John  Welsh  became  the  purchaser  of  the  Lin- 
coln Farm  in  1816  after  which  it  eventually  be- 
came divided  into  several  smaller  farms.  A  division 
of  the  farm  was  made  by  Mr.  Welsh  and  Elijah 
Duckworth,  and  in  July,  1822,  Duckworth  sold  his 
property  to  George  Burkhart.  On  January  28, 
1824,  Burkhart  sold  out  to  Henry  Thomas.  Thomas 
kept  the  land  for  six  years  and  then  sold  to  John 
Gash,  the  endorsement  bearing  the  date  of  October 
14,  1830.  Five  years  later  Henry  Brothers  acquir- 
ed the  property  but  was  unable  to  meet  the  pay 
ments  and  Gash  finally  sold  it  to  Charles  F.  Huss 
on  March  25,  1840.  In  1845  the  Thomas  family 
again  obtained  posession  of  a  small  portion  of  the 
above  tract  containing  the  spring  and  cabin.  On 
September  27,  1852,  they  conveyed  to  Henry  H. 
Home  the  tract  of  land  including  "the  spring 
where  the  said  Home  now  lives." 

Royal  P.  Hankla  became  the  next  owner  of 
the  Lincoln  cabin  and  surrounding  acres  making 
the  purchase  on  December  14,  1853.  He  retained 
possession  until  after  the  Civil  War  and  then  sold 
to  Richard  Creal  on  August  26,  1867.  After  the 
Civil  War,  Lincoln    having  become    famous,  the 


Creal  farm  became  known  as  the  Lincoln  Birth- 
place Farm.  It  contained  less  than  one-third  of 
the  original  farm  on  which  Thomas  Lincoln  settled 
and  where  he  was  living  when  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  born. 

Richard  Creal  and  his  heirs  owned  the  land 
for  a  longer  period  than  any  other  title  holder,  hav- 
ing possession  more  than  twenty-seven  years.  On 
November  23,  1894,  it  became  the  property  of 
Alfred  W.  Dennette,  who  was  the  first  individual 
to  place  any  value  on  it  for  its  association  with 
Abraham  Lincoln.  He  lived  in  New  York  and  was 
an  admirer  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  also  pur- 
chased the  Lincoln  cabin  which  had  been  removed 
to  another  farm,  and  restored  it  to  its  original  site. 

With  the  passing  of  Dennette  into  bankruptcy, 
the  farm  was  sold  at  the  court  house  door  and 
Robert  J.  Collier  bought  the  farm  on  August  25, 
1905.  On  November  9,  1907,  he  presented  it  to  the 
Lincoln  Farm  Association.  After  the  Memorial 
Building  had  been  erected,  the  cabin  enshrined, 
and  numerous  improvements  made  about  the  place, 
the  Lincoln  Farm  Association  presented  the  prop- 
erty to  the  United  States  of  America.  The  deed  of 
conveyance  is  dated  April  16,  1916. 

Previous  to  the  possession  of  this  farm  by 
Richard  Creal,  nothing  was  known  about  the  own- 
ership. It  was  during  a  systematic  research  of 
records  in  Hardin  and  LaRue  County  by  the 
writer,  that  these  land  transfers  became  known. 
Those  interested  in  a  further  discussion  of  the  title 
to  the  Lincoln  Farm  as  held  by  Thomas  Lincoln, 
may  find  such  information  in  my  "Lincoln's  Paren- 
tage and  Childhood/'  published  by  The  Century 
Company,  New  York. 


THE  JACKSON  HIGHWAY 

HE  Lincoln  Birthplace  Farm  is  situated  on 
the  Jackson  Highway,  a  national  road  pro- 
ject running  north  and  south  through  Ken- 
tucky, having  as  its  terminals  the  Great 
Lakes  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  seg- 
ment of  this  roacl  passing  through  LaRue 
County  has  been  known  by  several  names.  As  early 
as  1800  it  was  called  the  Old  Cumberland  Road, 
later  it  wTas  designated  the  Louisville  and  Nash- 
ville Turnpike,  it  was  also  called  the  Bardstown 
and  Green  River  Turnpike.  It  runs  through  the 
Lincoln  Farm  nearly  parallel  with  the  eastern  and 
western  boundaries  and  cuts  the  original  property 
of  Thomas  Lincoln  in  about  two  equal  areas. 

If  there  is  a  stretch  of  twenty-five  miles  on 
any  highway  in  the  middle  west  that  has  so  many 
places  of  historical  interest  as  this  highway  from 
Bardstown  to  Hodgenville,  we  do  not  know  where 
it  can  be.  Among  the  sites  at  Bardstown  may  be 
seen :  "Old  Kentucky  Home,"  where  Stephen  Foster 
wrote  the  greatest  of  American  folk  songs;  the 
grave  of  John  Fitch  the  inventor  of  the  first  steam- 
boat, and  but  recently  honored;  also  St.  Joseph's 
Cathedral,  the  oldest  west  of  the  Alleghany  Moun- 
tains, famous  for  its  rare  collections  of  old  paint- 
ings. At  New  Haven  is  the  Abbey  of  Gethsemani, 
one  of  the  two  monasteries  of  the  Trappist  Order 
in  the  United  States.  At  Athertonville  is  the  site 
of  the  school  house  which  Lincoln  attended  as  a 
boy,  and  near  Hodgenville  other  locations  of  inter- 
est to  Lincoln  students. 

Note:  Those  desiring  a  description  of  these  many  places  of  his- 
torical import  on  the  Jackson  Highway  may  secure  my  "Louisville 
Lincoln  Loop",  published  by  the  Standard     Printing  Co.  of  Louisville, 


Cfhe  Jackson  Highwai] 


THE  RAIL  FENCE 

T  is  the  intention  of  the  United  State  Gov- 
ernment to  conserve  at  the  farm,  all  the 
original  features  that  will  contribute  to  the 
early  environment  of  the  sacred  spot.  One 
of  the  first  evidences  of  this  purpose  ob- 
served by  the  visitor  approaching  the  res- 
ervation, is  the  rail  fence  which  borders  that  por- 
tion of  the  Jackson  Highway  that  passes  through 
the  park.  With  the  possible  exception  of  "Honest 
Abe",  no  appelation  has  been  used  in  referring  to 
Lincoln  more  frequently  than  "The  Railsplitter". 
While  Lincoln  was  too  young  when  he  left  the 
place  of  his  birth  to  have  any  part  in  the  manual 
labor  about  the  home,  he  undoubtedly  saw  rails 
split  by  his  father  on  this  very  farm. 

We  learn  from  John  Hanks  that  when  the  Lin- 
coln family  arrived  on  the  Sangamon  River,  in 
Macon  County,  Illinois,  the  lanky  young  Kentuck- 
ian  was  already  initiated  into  his  early  occupation. 
Hanks  says,  "Abe  and  myself  split  rails  enough  to 
fence  the  place  in."  He  also  affirmed  that  when 
Lincoln  was  twenty-two  years  old,  "He  made  3,000 
rails  for  Maj.  Warnick,  walking  three  miles  daily 
to  his  work." 

It  was  the  rails  split  by  Lincoln  and  Hanks 
near  Decatur  that  caused  Lincoln  to  be  known  as 
"The  Railsplitter."  At  the  Republican  Convention 
in  Decatur,  John  Hanks  was  introduced  to  the  as- 
sembly bearing  two  rails  with  this  inscription  on 
them: 

Abraham  Lincoln 
The  Rail  Candidate 
For  President  in  1860. 


CThe  Rail  Fence 


THE  CORNER  OAK 

NE  of  the  most  interesting  features  at  the 
park  is  the  Old  Corner  Oak.  This  giant 
tree  overshadows  everything  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity.  The  trunk  has  a  circumfe- 
rence of  over  fifteen  feet  at  a  point  six 
feet  from  the  ground.  The  foliage  has  a 
spread  of  over  one  hundred  feet.  It  is  in  a  perfect 
state  of  preservation  and  makes  a  substantial 
growth  each  year.  It  seems  good  for  at  least 
another  century. 

As  early  as  1822  this  oak  was  designated  as  a 
tree  large  enough  to  be  marked  and  made  a  corner, 
which  distinguished  it  from  its  neighbor  trees.  By 
the  year  1827  a  survey  was  made  "To  begin  at  a 
noted  white  oak  D.  V.  Vance's  corner."  At  one  time 
as  many  as  six  farms  centered  at  this  oak  and  at 
present  three  land  surveys  make  the  tree  their 
corner. 

If  one  could  interpret  the  language  of  the 
trees,  like  the  exiled  Duke  in  the  Garden  of  Arden, 
the  tongue  of  this  tree  might  tell  an  interesting- 
story.  As  far  as  we  know,  this  is  the  only  thing 
now  living  that  looked  down  upon  the  cradle  of 
Abraham  Lincoln.  Its  location  is  not  more  than 
three  hundred  feet  from  the  original  site  of  the 
Lincoln  cabin.  Although  Abraham  moved  with 
his  parents  from  this  home  when  he  was  but  two 
years  of  age,  there  is  no  doubt  but  what  the  shade 
of  the  old  corner  oak  was  a  part  of  his  first  play- 
ground. This  tree  has  been  mentioned  as  worthy 
of  a  place  in  the  list  of  famous  trees  compiled  by 
the  Forestry  Department. 


Cfhe  Comer  Oak 


THE  ROCK  SPRING 

I 


V 


ATURE^S  best  gift  to  the  Lincoln  Farm  is 

the  spring    of  cool  water,  which  gave  the 

property  the  name  of  Sinking  Spring  Farm 

in  the  early  days.    It  is  located  at  the  foot 

of  the  elevation     on  which     the  memorial 

building  stands.    The   approach  is  down  a 

flight  of   stone  steps,    leading  to  the     rock  cave 

which  forms  a  natural  spring  house  for  the  never 

failing  stream.    The  cave  is  high  enough  for  one 

to  stand  upright,  and  wide  enough  to  accomodate 

a  number  of  people.    Its  walls    are  covered  with 

vines  and  the  overhanging  trees  make  it  one  of  the 

most  beautiful  spots  on  the  entire  reservation.  The 

water  gushes  forth  from  a  crevice  in  the  rock  and 

falls  gracefully  into  a  cavity  that  has  been  made  by 

the  centuries  of  continual  dropping. 

The  spring  is  undoubtedly  very  much  the  same 
as  it  was  in  the  days  when  the  Lincoln  family  secur- 
ed from  it  their  water  supply.  Its  presence  was 
probably  responsible  for  the  location  of  the  cabin, 
which  stood  close  by.  In  conversation  with  an  old 
citizen  of  LaRue  County,  Dr.  Jesse  Rodman,  Lin- 
coln said  that  he  remembered  the  cave  spring. 

The  visitor  to  the  spring  may  see  carved  in  the 
wall  the  letters  "S.  C."  placed  there  in  1860  by  Sam- 
uel Castene.  Mr.  Castene  borrowed  the  hammer 
and  chisel  used  in  carving  the  initials  from  R.  W. 
Creal,  a  recent  judge  of  LaRue  County.  Creal 
was  then  a  small  boy  on  his  father's  farm  and  lived 
in  the  old  cabin  at  the  entrance  to  the  park.  Sol- 
diers returning  after  the  Civil  War  remarked  that 
someone  had  carved  in  the  wall  of  the  old  spring, 
the  initials  standiing  for  Southern  Confederacy. 


- 


THE  CORNER  STONE 


block  of  Connecticut  granite  weighing  three 
thousand  pounds,  serves  as  the  corner  stone 
of  the  Memorial  Building.  The  date  en- 
graved upon  it,  February  12, 1909,  is  the  one 
hundredth  anniversary  of  Lincoln's  birth, 
and  it  was  on  this  day  the  corner  stone 
services  were  held.  Theodore  Roosevelt,  then  Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States,  officiated  at  the  exer- 
cises. When  the  stone  was  ready  for  placement, 
he  applied  the  first  mortar  with  a  silver  trowel. 

Five  addresses  were  delivered  on  this  occasion, 
each  speaker  placing  within  the  metal  box  of  the 
corner  stone  the  manuscript  used.  The  contents  of 
the  box  and  those  depositing  the  same  are  shown 
by  the  following  program : 

Address  on  behalf  of  the  Government  — Theo- 
dore Roosevelt. 

Address  on  behalf  of  Lincoln  Farm  Associa- 
tion— Gov.  Joseph  W.  Folk. 

Address  on  behalf  of  the  State  of  Kentucky— 
Gov.  A.  Wilson. 

Address  on  behalf  of  the  Federal  Army  — Gen. 
James  Grant  Wilson. 

Address  on  behalf  of  Confederate  Army — Gen. 
Luke  E.  Wright. 

Copy  of  Emancipation  Proclamation —  I.  T. 
Montgomery,  Ex  Slave. 

Coins  of  the  Day — Clarence  H.  Mackay. 

History  of  Lincoln  Farm  Association —  Rich- 
ard Lloyd  Jones. 

Copy  of  LaRue  County  Herald,  February  11, 
1909— Robert  J.  Collier. 

Silk  American  Flag — Theodore  Roosevelt. 


THE  MEMORIAL  BUILDING 

HE  architecture  of  the  Memorial  Building 
is  an  original  design  by  John  Russell  Pope. 
The  construction  was  superintended  by 
Norcross  Brothers  of  Worcester,  Massachu- 
setts, and  the  material  used  was  Stony 
Creek  Connecticut  granite. 
Within  the  building  stands  the  humble  log- 
cabin  in  which  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born.  With 
the  exception  of  the  inscriptions  on  the  walls,  and 
a  card  index  cabinet  to  one  side,  there  is  nothing 
further  to  detract  the  attention  of  the  visitor  from 
the  chief  object  of  interest.  The  cabinet  contains 
the  names  of  those  who  made  possible  the  purchase 
of  the  farm  and  cabin,  the  erection  of  the  Memo- 
rial Building  and  the  improvements  on  the  old 
home  place. 

During  the  interval  between  the  launching  of 
the  project  and  the  date  of  acceptance  by  the  Uni- 
ted States  Government,  three  Presidents  have  visi- 
ted the  memorial  and  taken  part  in  exercises  asso- 
ciated with  it.  The  ceremonies  at  the  laying  of  the 
corner  stone,  February  12, 1909,  were  presided  over 
by  President  Theodore  Roosevelt.  The  dedicatory 
services  on  November  9,  1911,  were  attended  by 
President  William  Howard  Taft,  and  the  formal 
acceptance  of  the  Lincoln  Farm  as  a  National  Park 
was  by  President  Woodrow  Wilson,  on  September 
4,  1916. 

Companion  for   the   centuries   art   thou, 

And  yet  thy  crumbling  granite,  turned  to  dust, 

Shall  not  outlive  that  wasting  pile,  within 

Whose  logs  a  grateful  people  keep  in  trust. 


THE  LOG  CABIN 


HERE  is  nothing  at  the  park  that  rivals  in 
interest  the  log  cabin  in  which  Lincoln  was 
born.  Sheltered  now  from  the  elements 
and  also  from  the  hand  of  the  vandal,  it  is 
conserved  so  that  future  generations  may 
be  inspired  by  its  presence.  Its  history  is 
as  romantic  as  the  life  of  the  child  that  left  the 
cabin  for  the  White  House.  In  the  early  sixties 
shortly  after  Lincoln  was  chosen  President,  George 
Rodman,  an  admirer  of  Lincoln,  bought  the  old 
cabin  from  Richard  Creal  and  moved  it  from  its 
original  site  to  his  property  about  one  and  one- 
half  miles  from  the  Lincoln  farm.  It  was  first  used 
as  a  shelter  for  ngroes  and  later  as  a  tenant  house. 
Two  terms  of  school  were  taught  in  the  cabin  about 
1872  and  1873.  In  1875  John  Davenport  married 
the  school  teacher  and  they  went  to  keeping  house 
in  the  cabin.  Here  they  lived  until  1894  when  the 
cabin  was  purchased  by  A.  W.  Dennett  and  moved 
back  to  its  original  site  on  the  Lincoln  Farm. 

The  cabin  rested  on  the  old  foundation  but  a 
short  time  and  then  was  taken  down.  The  143  logs 
were  shipped  to  the  Nashville  Centennial  in  1897, 
for  exhibition  purposes.  It  was  moved  to  Central 
Park,  New  York,  and  exhibited  at  the  Buffalo  Ex- 
position in  1901,  after  which  it  was  purchased  by 
David  Creer  and  stored  in  the  old  Poffenhausen 
Mansion  on  Long  Island.  In  1906  the  Lincoln 
Farm  Association  purchased  the  cabin  and  shipped 
it  to  Louisville,  where  it  was  one  of  the  features  of 
the  Louisville  home  coming  celebration.  It  was 
brought  to  Hodgenville  in  1909  at  the  laying  of  the 
Memorial  Building  corner  stone  and  finally  lodged 
there  at  the  dedication  in  1911. 


LINCOLN  NATIONAL  PARK 

HE  names  of  Jones  and  Collier  will  always 
be  associated  with  the  Lincoln  National 
Park.  Rev.  Jenkins  Lloyd  Jones  might  be 
called  the  originator  of  the  plan  to  con- 
LSI  serve  the  birthplace  of  Lincoln,  and  Rob2rt 
J.  Collier  was  of  great  assistance  in  carry- 
ing out  the  proposed  program. 

The  Lincoln  Farm  Association  was  the  organi- 
zation which  made  the  park  possible  and  this  brief 
word  suggests  the  purpose  of  the  movement,  "This 
is  a  patriotic  association  of  the  citizens  of  the  Uni- 
ted States,  formed  to  develop  the  Lincoln  Birth- 
place Farm,  at  Hodgenville,  Kentucky,  into  a  per- 
manent Lincoln  National  Park — a  park  of  patriot- 
ism." The  association  raised  $385,000  by  public 
subscription.  All  but  $48,000  was  spent  for  im- 
provements, which  sum  was  left  as  an  endowment 
to  care  for  the  park. 

The  following  excerpt  is  from  the  deed  show- 
ing the  transfer  to  the  United  States  of  America : 

"Upon  considerations  that  lands  herein  de- 
scribed together  with  the  buildings  and  appurten- 
ances thereunto  belonging  shall  be  forever  dedi- 
cated to  the  purpose  of  a  National  Park  or  Reser- 
vation, and  the  party  of  the  second  part,  the  Uni- 
ted States  of  America,  agrees  to  protect  and  pre- 
serve the  said  lands  and  buildings  and  appurtenan- 
ces, and  especially  the  Log  Cabin  in  which  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  was  born,  and  the  Memorial  Hall  en- 
closing same  from  spoliation,  destruction  and  fur- 
ther disintegration,  to  the  end  that  there  shall 
never  be  any  charge  made  or  asked  from  the  public 
for  admission  to  said  park  or  reservation." 


memorial  Driueiuay 


INSCRIPTIONS 

DEDICATION 

HERE 
OVER  THE  LOG  CABIN  WHERE  ABRAHAM 

LINCOLN  WAS  BORN  DESTINED  TO 
PRESERVE  THE  UNION  AND  FREE  THE 

SLAVE 

A  GRATEFUL  PEOPLE  HAVE  DEDICATED 

THIS  MEMORIAL  TO  UNITY  PEACE 

AND  BROTHERHOOD  AMONG  THE  STATES 

WORDS  OF  LINCOLN 

LET  US  HAVE  FAITH 

THAT  RIGHT  MAKES  MIGHT 

AND  IN  THAT  FAITH  LET  US  TO 

THE  END  DARE  TO  DO  OUR  DUTY 

Cooper  Institute,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  27,  1860. 

STAND  WITH  ANYBODY  THAT 

STANDS  RIGHT 

STAND  WITH  HIM  WHILE  HE 

IS  RIGHT,  AND  PART  WITH  HIM 

WHEN  HE  GOES  WRONG 

Peoria,  111.,  Oct.  16,  1854. 

WITH  MALICE  TOWARDS  NONE 
WITH  CHARITY  FOR  ALL 

N0te — The  above  inscriptions  are  engraved  on  the  front  walls  of 
the  Memorial  Building. — Ed. 


North  Uieu;  of  memorial 


POETRY  AND  HISTORY 


Note:     These  pages  of  poetry  and  history  which  follow  are  facsim- 
iles of  engravings  on  the  interior  walls  of  the  Memorial  Building. — Ed 

TRIBUTES 

HE  WAS  THE  NORTH,  THE  SOUTH,  THE  EAST,  THE  WEST. 
THE  THRALL,  THE  MASTER,  ALL  OF  US  IN  ONE; 
THERE  WAS  NO  SECTION  THAT  HE  HELD  THE  BEST; 
HIS  LOVE  SHOWN  AS  IMPARTIAL  AS  THE  SUN; 
AND  SO  REVENGE  APPEALED  TO  HIM  IN  VAIN, 
HE  SMILED  AT  IT  AS  AT  A  THING  FORLORN, 
AND  GENTLY  PUT  IT  FROM  HIM,  ROSE  AND  STOOD 
A  MOMENTS   SPACE   IN  PAIN, 

REMEMBERING  THE   PRAIRIES  AND  THE   CORN 
AND  THE  GLAD  VOICES  OF  THE  FIELD  AND  WOOD. 

MAURICE  THOMPSON 

THE  COLOR  OF  THE  GROUND  WAS  IN  HIM  THE  RED  EARTH; 

THE  SMELL  AND  SMACK  OF  ELEMENTAL  THINGS: 

THE  RECTITUDE  AND  PATIENCE   OF  THE   CLIFF; 

THE  GOOD  WILL  OF  THE  RAIN  THAT  LOVES  ALL  LEAVES; 

THE   FRIENDLY  WELCOME   OF  THE   WAYSIDE  WELL; 

THE  COURAGE  OF  THE  BIRD  THAT  DARES  THE  SEA; 

THE  GLADNESS  OF  THE  WIND  THAT  SHAKES  THE  CORN; 

THE  MERCY  OF  THE  SNOW  THAT  HIDES  ALL  SCARS; 

THE  SECRECY  OF  STREAMS  THAT  MAKE  THEIR  WAY 

BENEATH  THE   MOUNTAIN  TO  THE   RIFTED  ROCK; 

THE   UNDERLYING  JUSTICE   OF  THE   LIGHT 

THAT  GIVES  AS  FREELY  TO  THE  SHRINKING  FLOWER 

AS  TO  THE  GREAT  OAK  FLARING  TO  THE  WIND 

TO  THE  GRAVE'S  LOW  HILL  AS  TO  THE  MATTERHORN 

THAT  SHOULDERS  OUT  THE  SKY. 

EDWIN  MARKHAM. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY 


I  WAS  BORN  FEB.  12,  1809,  IN  HARDIN  COUNTY, 

KENTUCKY.     MY  PARENTS  WERE  BORN  IN 

VIRGINIA.     MY  MOTHER  WHO  DIED  IN  MY  TENTH 

YEAR,  WAS  OF  A  FAMILY  OF  THE  NAME  OF  HANKS. 

MY  FATHER  AT  THE  DEATH  OF  HIS  FATHER  WAS 

BUT  SIX  YEARS  OF  AGE,  AND  HE  GREW  UP, 

LITERALLY   WITHOUT  EDUCATION.     HE   REMOVED 

FROM  KENTUCKY  TO  WHAT  IS  NOW  SPENCER 

COUNTY,  INDIANA,  IN  MY  EIGHTH  YEAR.     WE  REACHED 

OUR  NEW  HOME  ABOUT  THE  TIME  THE  STATE 

CAME  INTO  THE  UNION.    IT  WAS  A  WILD  REGION, 

WITH  MANY  BEARS  AND  OTHER  WILD  ANIMALS, 

STILL  IN  THE  WOODS.     THERE  I  GREW  UP.     THERE 

WERE  SOME  SCHOOLS,  SO  CALLED. 

THERE  WAS  ABSOLUTELY  NOTHING  TO  EXCITE 

AMBITION  FOR  EDUCATION.     OF  COURSE  WHEN 

I  CAME   OF  AGE  I  DID  NOT  KNOW   MUCH.     STILL, 

SOMEHOW,  I  COULD  READ,  WRITE,  AND  CIPHER 

TO  THE  RULE  OF  THREE  BUT  THAT  WAS  ALL. 

THE   LITTLE   ADVANCE   I   NOW   HAVE   UPON   THIS 

STORE  OF  EDUCATION,  I  HAVE  PICKED  UP     FROM 

TIME  TO  TIME,  UNDER  THE  PRESSURE 

OF  NECESSITY. 

A.  LINCOLN. 

Note:  The  above  historical  data  consists  of  several  excerpts 
from  an  autobiography  prepared  by  Abraham  Lincoln  for  Jesse  W. 
Fell  in  1859.— Ed. 


THOMAS  LINCOLN. 

January  30,  1770  January  17,  1851 

FIFTH  IN  DESCENT  FROM  SAMUEL  LINCOLN,  WEAVER, 
WHO  LANDED  AT  HINGHAM,  MASSACHUSETTS,  MAY  26, 
1637.     ORPHANED  AT  SIX  YEARS  OF  AGE  BY  AN  INDIAN 
BULLET  HE  GREW  UP  HOMELESS  IN  THE  WILD  WOODS 
OF  KENTUCKY.     AT  TWENTY-FIVE   HE   WAS  THE 
POSSESSOR  OF  THIS  CABIN  HOME  AND  ITS 
NEIGHBORING  ACRES.     IN  1818  HE  MOVED  TO  INDIANA, 
THEN  A  TERRITORY,  FIVE  YEARS  LATER  HE  FOLLOWED 
THE  TIDE  OF  IMMIGRATION  TO  ILLINOIS,  WHERE  HE 
LIVED  A  PEACEFUL,  INDUSTRIOUS,  RESPECTED 
CITIZEN,  A  GENERAL,  HONEST  AND  CONTENTED 
PIONEER.    WITH  COURAGE  AND  ENERGY  HE  BUILT 
WITH  HIS  OWN  HAND  FIVE  HOMES,  EACH  BETTER 
THAN  THE  PRECEEDING  ONE,  HE  WON  AND  HELD 
THE  LOVE  AND  CONFIDENCE  OF  TWO  NOBLE  WOMEN 
AND  HE  WAS  THE  FATHER  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 
"MY  FATHER  INSISTED  THAT  NONE  OF  HIS  CHILDREN 
SHOULD  SUFFER  FOR  THE  WANT  OF  EDUCATION  AS  HE 
HAD."  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

"HE  WAS  A  GOOD  CARPENTER  FOR  THE  TIMES. 
HE  HAD  THE  BEST  SET  OF  TOOLS  IN  WASHINGTON 
COUNTY.    THE  LINCOLNS  HAD  A  COW  AND  A  CALF, 
MILK  AND  BUTTER,  A  GOOD  FEATHER-BED,  FOR  I  HAVE 
SLEPT  ON  IT,  THEY  HAD  A  HOME-WOVEN  'KIVERLID,' 
BIG  AND  LITTLE  POTS,  A  LOOM  AND  WHEEL. 
TOM  LINCOLN  WAS  A  MAN  AND  TOOK  CARE  OF  HIS 
WIFE.     REVEREND  JESSE  HEAD,  THE  MINISTER 
WHO  MARRIED  TOM  LINCOLN  AND  NANCY  HANKS, 
TALKED  BOLDLY  AGAINST  SLAVERY  AND  TOM  AND 
NANCY  LINCOLN  AND  SARAH  BUSH  WERE  JUST 
STEEPED  FULL  OF  JESSE  HEAD'S  NOTIONS 
ABOUT  THE  WRONG  OF  SLAVERY  AND  THE  RIGHTS 
OF  MAN  AS  EXPLAINED  BY  THOMAS  JEFFERSON  AND 
THOMAS  PAINE."  Prof.  T.  C.  GRAHAM,  Louisville,  Ky. 


NANCY  HANKS  LINCOLN 

February  4,  1784  October  5,  1818 

BORN  IN  VIRGINIA;  WHEN  THREE  YEARS  OLD 
HER  PARENTS  JOSEPH  AND   NANCY   SHIPLEY 
HANKS,  CROSSED  THE   MOUNTAINS  INTO 
KENTUCKY.     ORPHANED  AT  NINE  SHE  WAS  ADOPTED 
AND  REARED  BY  RICHARD  AND  LUCY  SHIPLEY 
BERRY,  AT  WHOSE   HOME  IN  BEECHLAND,  WASH- 
INGTON COUNTY,  KENTUCKY,  SHE  WAS  MARRIED  TO 
THOMAS  LINCOLN,  JUNE  17,  1806.     OF  THIS  UNION 
WERE  BORN  SARAH,  ABRAHAM  AND  THOMAS.     THE 
FIRST  MARRIED  AARON  GRIGSBY  AND  DIED  IN 
INDIANA  IN  1828.     THE  LAST  DIED  IN  INFANCY.     THE 
SECOND  LIVED  TO  WRITE  THE  EMANCIPATION 
PROCLAMATION.     THE  DAYS  OF  THE  DISTAFF,  THE 
SKILLETT,  THE  DUTCH  OVEN,  THE  OPEN  FIREPLACE 
WITH   ITS   IRON   CRANE   ARE   NO   LONGER,  BUT 
HOMEMAKING  IS  STILL  THE  FINEST  OF  THE  FINE 
ARTS.     NANCY  HANKS  WAS  TOUCHED  WITH  THE 
DIVINE  APTITUDES  OF  THE  FIRESIDE.     LOVED  AND 
HONORED  FOR  HER  WIT,  GENIALITY  AND  INTELLIGENCE, 
SHE  JUSTIFIED   AN  ANCESTRY  REACHING  BEYOND 
THE  SEAS,  REPRESENTED  BY  THE  NOTABLE  NAMES 
OF  HANKS,  SHIPLEY,  BOONE,  EVANS  AND  MORRIS,  TO  HER 
WAS  ENTRUSTED  THE  TASK  OF  TRAINING  A  GIANT  IN 
WHOSE  CHILDHOOD'S  MEMORIES  SHE  WAS  HALLOWED. 
OF  HER  HE  SAID,  "MY  EARLIEST  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MY 
MOTHER  IS  SITTING  AT  HER  FEET  WITH  MY  SISTER  DRINK- 
ING IN  THE  TALES  AND  LEGENDS  THAT  WERE  READ  AND 
RELATED  TO  US."    TO  HIM  ON  HER  DEATH  BED  SHE 
SAID:  'I  AM  GOING  AWAY  FROM  YOU  ABRAHAM,  AND 
I  SHALL  NOT  RETURN,  I  KNOW  YOU  WILL  BE  A  GOOD  BOY, 
THAT  YOU  WILL  BE  KIND  TO  SARAH  AND  YOUR  FATHER. 
I  WANT  YOU  TO  LIVE  AS  I  HAVE  TAUGHT  YOU  TO  AND  TO 
LOVE  YOUR  HEAVENLY  FATHER.'     "ALL  THAT  I  AM  OR 
HOPE  TO  BE  I  OWE  TO  MY  ANGEL  MOTHER." 


ADMINISTRATION 


NOTE:     The  two  following-  inscriptions  are  copied  from  bronze 

tablets  on  the  rear  wall  of  the  Memorial  Building'. 

THIS  MEMORIAL 

ERECTED 

BY  POPULAR  SUBSCRIPTION 

THROUGH  THE 

LINCOLN  FARM  ASSOCIATION 
JOSEPH  W.  FOLK 

PRESIDENT 

ROBERT  J.  COLLIER 

VICE  PRESIDENT  AND  CHAIRMAN  OF 
THE   EXECUTIVE   COMMITTEE 

CLARENCE  H.  MACKAY 

TREASURER 

RICHARD  LLOYD  JONES 

SECRETARY 

JOHN  RUSSELL  POPE 

ARCHITECT 

CORNERSTONE  LAID  BY 

PRESIDENT  ROOSEVELT 

FEBRUARY  12, 1909 

DEDICATED  BY 
PRESIDENT  TAFT 
NOVEMBER  9,  1911 


}r 


Rear  View  of  Ulemoria 


I 


ft 


BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 

OF  THE 

LINCOLN  FARM  ASSOCIATION 


WILLIAM  H.  TAFT 
JOSEPH   W.   FOLK 
HORACE  PORTER 
CHARLES  E.  HUGHES 
OSCAR  S.  STRAUS 
JOHN   A.   JOHNSON 
ALBERT  SHAW 
SAMUEL  L.  CLEMENS 
CLARENCE  H.  MACKAY 
NORMAN    HAPGOOD 
LYMAN  J.  GAGE 
SAMUEL  GOMPERS 
AUGUST  BELMONT 
ROBERT  J.   COLLIER 
AUGUSTUS  E.  WILSON 
HENRY  WATTERSON 
JENKINS  LLOYD  JONES 
THOMAS   HASTINGS 
IDA    M.    TARBELL 
CHARLES  A.  TOWNE 
RICHARD  LLOYD  JONES 
CARDINAL  GIBBONS 
JOSEPH   H.   CHAOTE 
EDWARD  M.  SHEPHERD 
WILLIAM  J.   BRYAN 
CHARLES  E.  MINER 
WILLIAM    T.   JEROME 
AUGUSTUS   ST.   GAUDENS 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS  URBANA 
973.7L63C2W25S  C001 

SOUVENIR  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN'S  BIRTHPLACE 


3  0112  031803619 


